At its CTIA 2010 press conference, Sprint announced that it will be aggressively expanding its WiMax coverage this year and offering its customers the HTC Evo 4G. The company claims that it’s the world’s first 3G/4G phone. Here are some specs on the Evo 4G:
- Google Android 2.1 with HTC Sense UI
- 1GHz Snapdragon processor
- 4.3-inch screen capable of 720p playback
- 1GB of internal storage
- 512MB of RAM
- 8 megapixel outer camera and 1.3 megapixel inner camera (for video conferencing)
- WiFi, WiMax, and CDMA radios
The HTC Evo 4G will be out this summer.
I left Sprint last summer because I thought it was the biggest loser out of the four major American carriers. Although its network and coverage are great (partially due to a roaming agreement with Verizon), I was disappointed in the company’s phone selection and (especially) customer service. Also, I wasn’t confident in Sprint’s future; it spent a ton of money on WiMax, while the rest of the world seems to be going with LTE for 4G technology.
All that aside, the phone looks pretty damn sweet. I’m not going to do it, but a small part of me is tempted to return to Sprint for two years and rock the HTC Evo 4G. By the time my contact is up, LTE should be mature (enough) and widely deployed. Nah, that’s a bad idea. It would take more than that for me to go back to Sprint. Besides, there will be numerous “awesome” phones announced before the Evo 4G comes out.
What do you ladies and gents think of the HTC Evo 4G?
@ray
what do i think?
GOD DAMN IT
I don't know if I want this or the N1. The Nexus One is much sexier IMO but this phone is a damn warhorse! They don't have 4G in my area yet either…damn you Sprint. My upgrade somes in August…I hope I can wait that long. I just don't know which one I want….
I don't think Wimax is in enough areas to be viable. They are still trying to get into large markets. I think they will finally be in Houston this year and they have no plans for NOLA.
You are right about Sprint lacking in the phone dept. My mother and brother both use Sprint and there were really any phones that seemed worth it. This was before the Palm Pre (though I don’t care for it either). My mom ended up with the Touch Pro (which broke and Sprint told her they were all defective and gave her the TouchPro 2 for free).
I really just want ANY new phone from ANY carrier at this point. This is the longest I have had any phone and it has been less than a year, but there just hasn’t been anything on AT&T (except the LG eXpo that disappeared fast. Couldn’t buy it a week after the release)
@SlickyFats What are you looking for in a phone? Are you a Google guy? Is web browsing super important on a phone? Games? Apps?
I love the messaging functionality of my BlackBerry, I miss having the variety that the iPhone and WinMo had as far as apps and games. I would like a phone that browsed the web better though. I had and iPhone 3G and those gray checkered boxes in the web browser when you scrolled up or down faster than it always bothered me. As for Google I don’t use any of there services beside gmail & searching. I also feel no need to be connected to Social Networks or their apps on my phone. I do need a phone with a better camera than my Bold (2Mp). I listen to lots of music on my phone and watch movies.
Hope that answered you questions.
@Smartguy WiMax is available in 27 cities now. Sprint has stated that it will cover Boston, Denver, Kansas City, Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City and St. Louis in 2010.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by viable. It's completely new tech that's being deployed. You need a device like the Evo 4G to get people to buy it.
@Ray
they have plenty of good spectrum, but their scope is too small for me. It's nowhere close to me and won't be this year it seems. Only deploying in select large cities is strategic, but useless for a commuter nation. You are competing with abundant wifi in big cities.
@Smartguy So it's not viable for you. To be fair, it's not like NOLA is a huge market. Sprint's plan is still really aggressive for a company that has been losing money and customers for several quarters. Ultimately, I'm not sure it will pay off since most pundits and analysts have already written off WiMax. I want to see real-world comparisons when LTE and WiMax are up and running, but it certainly looks like Sprint backed the wrong pony.
@Ray
I agree that NOLA is a small market but it is a huge city in the state and not to mention a tourist magnet.
If they can get the deal where they put towers on top of Walmarts then it could help. Otherwise, Clear is having some funding issues and i don’t see it being long term.
I think I will go with the Nexus One. It's just a nicer look phone. The EVO 4G is monsterous! Though now that I am an employee of Apple Inc. I might have to get an iPhone before Steve Jobs finds me in my dreams and kills me.